Motives
by HumanKnotGirl
Summary: Two years after the events of the Zero Requiem, Kallen still finds herself wondering why things happened the way they did. A familiar foe may have that answer. Mild language.


"How do I always end up stuck with you of all people?"

"Perhaps fate is trying to tell you something."

"That was rhetorical. And how the hell are you still alive?"

"Oh come on. You know why that is."

"Again, rhetorical." Kallen Kozuki was beside herself. Here she was, trapped in the bottom of an elevator shaft in an abandoned factory, her Knightmare Frame completely totaled with only enough energy to make a distress beacon. Worst of all, she was trapped with the one person in the world she hated most: the immortal witch C.C.

"Isn't it wonderful, though?" the green haired woman replied, teasingly. "All alone for what could be hours. Why not use this time to catch up? It has most certainly been a long time."

"Hmph. Two years since we last talked, and if you ask me I would have liked to keep it that way." The Japanese pilot lay back against her mech, hands behind her head, staring up at the ceiling as to avoid making eye contact with the witch. "If you ask me, you should have just stayed out of Tokyo forever."

"I wanted to pay my respects. To Lelouch, you know."

"Don't say that name."

"Oh? Does that mean you're still pining for him?"

"Shut up, dammit."

"Or maybe..." C.C. began to chuckle, "You simply regret not seeing his true nature?"

At this, Kallen tackled C.C., pulling out her handgun and placing it against the witch's neck. "Yes, I was wrong, is that what you want to hear? I understand I will never get to apologize for it. I understand you're still mad at me for our battle at Damocles and that you're trying to punish me for it. But I've moved on! Why can't you?" Tears were forming in her eyes.

"I'm not mad at you, Kallen Kozuki. That fight was fair and I hold no grudges."

"Then why?"

"Because I know. I know you want answers to questions you've had deep inside you since those days. I want to help you, Kallen. I think you've earned that much."

The redhead holstered her gun, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I admired Lelouch. He saved my life so many times, and gave me strength both as Zero and as a fellow student. And I chose, consistently, not to put my faith in him the way he had in me."

"You can't fault yourself for that."

"Yes I can, and I will! What do you know, anyway?" With that, the Japanese pilot moved to the other side of the elevator shaft, sulking and lost in thought. Several minutes passed emptily. Finally, C.C. broke the silence.

"He doesn't think badly of you, for the way you acted." Silence. She continued. "When he fought for an independent Japan, he did so in part with you in mind. He wanted you to be happy. He wanted you to live."

Kallen looked up, eyes wide. "He said that to me-"

"After the F.L.E.I.J.A. massacre, I know. It's one of the thought connections he shared with me."

"Did he...never mind, forget it." The redhead went back to staring at nothing in particular.

"He wanted to congratulate you on joining the Royal Air Force. And to express how proud he was that you followed your dreams after high school, that you were able to meet the goals you had set for yourself."

"I see..." Silence for several more minutes. Occasionally the clatter of shifting metal along the dilapidated structure. Finally, it was Kallen who spoke. "C.C., why did you give Lelouch his Geass power? Why him and not, say, Suzaku?"

"Kururugi was not a viable choice because he didn't have a reason for living. His desire was, is, and will continue to be death, as a penance for all the sins he has committed. However, as he is affected by Geass, he has no choice but to continue to live."

"That still doesn't explain why you picked Lelouch."

"Above all else, his motive was becoming a shield for others. Protecting Nunnally. Defending Euphemia's honor. As well as saving you and me. Consistently, he proved himself to have a kind heart and a determined spirit. Ultimately, it is why he managed to tame the power of the King in the end."

"And you were able to see all this in him from the start? Are you psychic or something?"

C.C. shook her head. "This world is composed of an infinite number of dimensions, an infinite number of parallels. For example, you exist in this parallel, but in others, you may have died. There are also parallels where you kept the name Stadtfeld and lived your live a Britannian."

"No way! I could never do that."

"How do you know?" The expression of the green-haired girl was resolute. "For every decision made, there are an additional number of alternatives that are taken. But it all branches out from a single point, the dawn of time. The Thought Elevator is a construct that controls the progression of time, and holds record of every possible outcome of every possible event."

"What can you see, C.C.? Can you see every outcome?"

"Not every single one. To do so would cause a descent into madness. I see only what I wish to see. It makes me not a psychic, but an inquisitive mind with two aims. The first being to find the most preferable path; the second, influencing the progression toward that path."

"So, in a way, you were using Lelouch?"

"You can say that. But at the same time, he was using me. It was a contract, after all."

"I see now why you love them so much," Kallen scoffed.

"I could make one with you, if you'd like," replied the witch.

"I decline!"

"That's too bad." The two sat in silence after that. They'd been trapped for more than an hour now. "Kallen..."

"Yes?"

"When you realized it was me you were chasing, why exactly did you follow me in here? If you didn't want to speak to me, then why didn't you leave?"

"The pilot blushed, before snapping, "Whatever! It's not like I wanted to see you again so quit bringing it up!" C.C. couldn't help but smile.

After three hours of being stuck, help finally arrived. The witch was cuffed and taken into police custody, but not charged with anything. She was released that same evening. Kallen returned to her air base, filed the necessary reports in a state of melancholy, and then headed out for the night, wishing to put the whole thing behind her.

But that was not to be. As she neared her apartment, she was met by none other than the green-haired witch. "Dammit, can't you give me a break?"

"Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to be." C.C. shrugged, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Let me guess: in one parallel, I let you in; in another, I go inside and never look back."

"Pretty much."

"Which is the most preferable path?"

"I think you know the answer already."

Kallen sighed, unlocking the door. "After you, then."


End file.
